The present disclosure is directed to plastic containers, and particularly to containers including a grip feature for ease of handling and suitable for use with and a bonded metal or foil seal and a replaceable snap on cap. The present disclosure features a package that can be substituted for a standard #10 size can commonly used in restaurants and industrial kitchens.
In restaurants and institutions such as hospitals and dormitories, large inventories of food must be kept on hand for use in preparing meals. The food often is preserved as canned goods, most typically in a #10 can. The standard dimensions of a #10 size can are 7 inches high by a diameter of 6 3/16 inches, and contain about 100 oz. The cans are typically stored on their side a standard vertical storage rack that has been developed for use throughout the food services industry to provide a first in—first out handling of the food inventory to ensure freshness. The standard rack is a metal unit comprising a number of inclined tracks disposed in vertical columns with three to four columns across. The tracks of a typical unit are formed by pairs of angle guides attached to the frame. Each track can accommodate at least six #10 size cans, which constitute one case. As the cans are dispensed from a track the remaining cans roll down the inclined track to the front of the rack. Depending on the design of the rack, the canned goods may be loaded on the storage rack from the front or back of the rack.
The wide use of such racks for the storage of preserved foods mandates that newly developed containers for foods to be used in the food services industry be suitable for handling on the same racks. Due to their size, such cans are rather awkward to handle requiring one to use both hands. There is therefore a need for a container having the same general dimensions of a #10 size can that can be more easily handled yet will withstand the rigors of typical treatment in the food services industry.